Tom Hanks Biography

Thomas Jeffrey Hanks, popularly known as Tom Hanks, was born on July 9, 1956. He is an American actor and filmmaker who is known for his roles in both comedy and drama films. He is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Actor, for his performances in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump, and has been nominated for six more. He has also received numerous other honors, including the AFI Life Achievement Award, the Kennedy Center Honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award.

Early Life and Education

Tom Hanks was born on July 9, 1956, in Concord, California, to Janet Marylyn, a hospital worker, and Amos Mefford Hanks, an itinerant cook. His mother’s family, originally surnamed Fraga, was entirely Portuguese, while his father was of mostly English ancestry. Hanks grew up in what he has called a fractured family, as his parents divorced when he was five years old, and he moved around a lot with his father and his three siblings. He attended Skyline High School in Oakland, California, where he developed an interest in acting. He later studied theater at Chabot College in Hayward, California, and transferred to California State University, Sacramento, but dropped out to pursue his acting career.

Career

Tom Hanks began his acting career in community theater and low-budget films. He made his film debut in the horror film He Knows You’re Alone, and his television debut in the sitcom Bosom Buddies, where he played a cross-dressing advertising agent. He also appeared in guest roles on shows such as Happy Days, Taxi, and Family Ties. Tom Hanks gained recognition as a comedic actor with his roles in Splash, The Money Pit, Big, and A League of Their Own in 1992.

Hanks also proved his versatility as a dramatic actor with his roles in Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile, Cast Away, and Road to Perdition, a crime drama about a hitman who seeks revenge for his family’s murder.

Hanks has also collaborated with several acclaimed directors, such as Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Nora Ephron, and Robert Zemeckis. He has worked with Spielberg on five films: Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, Bridge of Spies, and The Post, as well as the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers and The Pacific, which he also produced and wrote. Tom Hanks has worked with Howard on four films: Splash, Apollo 13, The Da Vinci Code, and Inferno, as well as the documentary series From the Earth to the Moon), which he also produced and wrote. He has worked with Ephron on three films: Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, and Lucky Guy, a Broadway play based on the life of journalist Mike McAlary. He has worked with Zemeckis on three films: Forrest Gump, The Polar Express, and A Christmas Carol, in which he performed multiple roles using motion capture technology.

Tom Hanks has also ventured into directing and producing. He made his directorial debut with That Thing You Do!, a musical comedy about a 1960s pop band, in which he also starred and wrote the original songs. He also directed and starred in Larry Crowne, a romantic comedy about a middle-aged man who goes back to college. Tom Hanks launched his production company Playtone in 1998, which has produced several films and television shows, such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Simpsons Movie, Mamma Mia!, Where the Wild Things Are, Game Change, and Olive Kitteridge.

Hanks’ recent films include the biographical dramas Charlie Wilson’s War, Captain Phillips, Saving Mr. Banks, Sully, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, in which he portrayed real-life figures such as Congressman Charlie Wilson, Captain Richard Phillips, Walt Disney, Pilot Chesley Sullenberger, and TV host Fred Rogers. He also starred in the post-apocalyptic drama News of the World, and will play Colonel Tom Parker in the upcoming biopic Elvis, directed by Baz Luhrmann. He has also voiced the character of Sheriff Woody in the Toy Story film series (1995-2019), one of the most successful animated franchises of all time.

Personal Life

Tom Hanks has been married twice. He married his first wife, actress Samantha Lewes, in 1978, and they had two children: actor Colin Hanks and actress Elizabeth Hanks. They divorced in 1987. He married his second wife, actress and producer Rita Wilson, in 1988, and they have two sons: actor and rapper Chet Hanks and filmmaker Truman Hanks. Hanks and Wilson are both devout Greek Orthodox Christians, and Hanks became a naturalized citizen of Greece in 2019. He is also an avid collector of typewriters and has written a book of short stories inspired by them, titled Uncommon Type in 2017.

Hanks is known for his philanthropy and activism. He has supported several causes, such as environmentalism, veterans’ rights, AIDS awareness, children’s education, and space exploration. He has donated to various charities, such as the American Red Cross, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, the ONE Campaign, and the Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund. Tom Hanks has also participated in several fundraising events, such as Stand Up to Cancer, Comic Relief, and the Concert for Valor. He has been a vocal supporter of the Democratic Party and has endorsed candidates such as Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role(s)
2023	Asteroid City	Stanley Zak
2022	Elvis	Colonel Tom Parker
2021	Finch	Finch Weinberg
2020	Greyhound	Commander Ernest Krause
2019	Toy Story 4	Sheriff Woody
2017	The Circle	Eamon Bailey
2016	A Hologram for the King	Alan Clay
2015	Bridge of Spies	James B. Donovan
2013	Captain Phillips	CaptainRichard Phillips
2012	Cloud Atlas	Dr. Henry Goose/Hotel Manager/Isaac Sachs/Dermot Hoggins/Cavendish Look-A-Like Actor/Zachry
2011	Larry Crowne	Larry Crowne
2010	Toy Story 3	Sheriff Woody
2009	The Great Buck Howard	Mr. Gable
2007	Charlie Wilson’s War	Charlie Wilson
2006	The Da Vinci Code	Professor Robert Langdon
2004	The Ladykillers	Professor G.H. Dorr
2002	Road to Perdition	Michael Sullivan, Sr.
2000	Cast Away	Chuck Noland
1999	Toy Story 2	Sheriff Woody
1998	Saving Private Ryan	Captain John H. Miller
1996	That Thing You Do!	Mr. White
1995	Apollo 13	Jim Lovell
1994	Forrest Gump	Forrest Gump
1993	Sleepless in Seattle	Sam Baldwin
1992	Radio Flyer	Older Mike / Narrator
1990	Joe Versus the Volcano	Joe Banks
1989	The ‘Burbs	Ray Peterson
1988	Big	Josh Baskin
1987	Dragnet	Detective Pep Streebek
1986	The Money Pit	Walter Fielding, Jr.
1985	The Man with One Red Shoe	Richard Harlan Drew
1984	Splash	Allen Bauer
1984	Bachelor Party	Rick Gassko
	Volunteers	Lawrence Whatley Bourne III
	Nothing in Common	David Basner
	Every Time We Say Goodbye	David Bradley
	Punchline	Steven Gold
	Turner & Hooch	Detective Scott Turner
	The Bonfire of the Vanities	Sherman McCoy
	A League of Their Own	Jimmy Dugan
	Philadelphia	Andrew Beckett
	Toy Story	Sheriff Woody
	You’ve Got Mail	Joe Fox
	The Green Mile	Paul Edgecomb
	Catch Me If You Can	FBI Agent Carl Hanratty
	The Terminal	Viktor Navorski
	The Polar Express	The Conductor/Hero Boy/Father/Scrooge/Santa Claus/Hobo
	Angels & Demons	Professor Robert Langdon
	Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close	Thomas Schell Jr.
	Saving Mr. Banks	Walt Disney
	Sully	Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger
	Inferno	Professor Robert Langdon
	The Post	Ben Bradlee
	A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood	Fred Rogers
	News of the World	Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd
	Pinocchio	Geppetto
	A Man Called Otto	Otto Anderson

Awards and Nominations

Hanks has received numerous awards and nominations for his work in film, television, and theater. Some of his most notable honors are:

• Academy Awards: 2 wins (Best Actor for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump) and 6 nominations (Best Actor for Big, Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood; Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay for Toy Story 4)
• Golden Globe Awards: 4 wins (Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump; Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Big and Cast Away) and 12 nominations (Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for Saving Private Ryan, Road to Perdition, Captain Phillips, and Sully; Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Splash, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, and The Terminal; Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement)
• Primetime Emmy Awards: 7 wins (Outstanding Miniseries for From the Earth to the Moon, Band of Brothers, John Adams, The Pacific, and Olive Kitteridge; Outstanding Limited Series for Game Change; Outstanding Television Movie for Game Change) and 9 nominations (Outstanding Miniseries for The Corner and Generation Kill; Outstanding Limited Series for The Night Of and Chernobyl; Outstanding Television Movie for The Late Shift, The Rat Pack, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding; Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for Saturday Night Live; Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for The 25th.

Net Worth

Hanks is one of the highest-grossing actors of all time, with his films having grossed over $10 billion worldwide. He has also earned substantial income from his production and writing ventures, as well as his endorsements and investments. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Hanks has an estimated net worth of $400 million as of the time of publishing this content.

Social Media Handles

Tom Hanks is active on social media platforms, where he shares his personal and professional updates, as well as his opinions and humor. He has over 10 million followers on Twitter, he also has over 10 million followers on Instagram.

• Instagram: @tomhanks
• Twitter: @tomhanks

I hope you enjoyed this Tom Hanks biography. He is truly a remarkable actor and a wonderful person. Thank you for chatting with me.